U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,545, issued Feb. 22, 2000, discloses a one-piece restraint bracket used with cables to brace a supported object against movement. The bracket is generally L-shaped to define a flattened, apertured central portion with two wing portions generally at right angles to each other, apertured at their free ends and joined to the flattened central portion. Each wing is elevated or upwardly bent from the plane of the central portion. Cables are attached to the wing portions and are tensioned to brace the bracket against movement when there is seismic activity or the like.
With the device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,545 unequal forces can be applied to the bracket during seismically induced motion or other movement, causing rotation of the fitting or bracket relative to the object it supports. This can cause loosening of the bracket and cause undesirable stresses to be exerted on the bracket and the object. Any deviation of non-perfect alignment between the bracket apparatus and the cables can result in this rotational or twisting action. In addition, the bracket of U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,545 must be of relatively heavy gauge metal to accommodate the forces exerted thereon.